Infant and Toddler Care Improvement Act - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to enable eligible states (including Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers, especially those from low-income families.
Authorizes the use of grant funds to: (1) make grants to organizations with expertise in providing child care and related technical assistance, to establish new staffed family child care networks or to operate existing staffed family child care networks or systems that offer, to family child care providers who are eligible infant and toddler care providers, technical assistance, training, administrative support, or direct services including monitoring visits to providers; (2) support a statewide network of infant and toddler care specialists; and (3) support initiatives to improve the quality of the provider workforce.
Allows the use of such funds also to: (1) develop infant and toddler components for the State's Quality Rating and Improvement System or a similar rating system, child care licensing regulations, or voluntary early learning guidelines; (2) improve the ability of parents to obtain information about high-quality infant and toddler care; or (3) assist eligible infant and toddler care providers seeking to increase their ranking on the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System or similar rating system, meet performance standards applicable to an Early Head Start agency, or become accredited by a national accrediting body.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4680 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4680
To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to
improve the quality of infant and toddler care.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 20, 2014
Ms. Clark of Massachusetts (for herself, Ms. Moore, Ms. DeLauro, Mr.
Van Hollen, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Speier, Mr. Tierney, Mrs. Davis of
California, Mr. Langevin, Ms. Meng, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, and Mr.
Schiff) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to
improve the quality of infant and toddler care.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Infant and Toddler Care Improvement
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The brain undergoes its most dramatic development
during a child's first 3 years of life, with 700 new
neurological connections being formed every second based on
early experience. During this time, the brain's foundational
capacities for thinking, language, emotion, and self-regulation
are formed.
(2) Economic deprivation can also affect the development of
the brain and impair all aspects of development. Children in
families below the poverty line are at risk for prolonged
``toxic'' stress, which can change the shape of the brain's
structure. Twenty-five percent of children younger than 3 years
of age live in families with incomes below the poverty level.
(3) Child care is second only to the family setting as the
place in which early development takes place for many infants
and toddlers. Sixty-one percent of mothers with children
younger than 3 years of age are in the labor force and over
6,000,000 children younger than 3 years of age are cared for by
someone other than their parents for some part or all of the
day. Therefore, the relationship between the child and the
child care provider often plays a significant role in child
development.
(4) Research shows that high-quality child care can
mitigate some of the effects of adverse experiences caused by
poverty and that low-income children can benefit particularly
well from high-quality child care. Yet, at-risk children
younger than 3 years of age often receive low-quality child
care that can lead to poor developmental outcomes.
(5) High-quality child care has been shown to promote
positive cognitive, language, and social and emotional
development, and contribute to academic success. High-quality
child care can also help improve a child's communication
skills, cognitive skills, behavioral skills, math and language
assessment scores, and verbal intelligence.
(6) Providing training and technical assistance to family
child care providers who are infant and toddler care providers,
through family child care networks, has been shown to improve
the quality of caregivers.
(7) Twenty-seven States use infant and toddler specialist
networks as the structure for providing training and technical
assistance, using research-based training and techniques such
as mentoring and on-site coaching, to all types of providers of
child care for infants or toddlers.
(8) Preparation for early childhood educators often does
not include training specific to infants and toddlers. Only 21
States have infant and toddler credential requirements that
define the particular knowledge and skills needed to work with
children younger than 3 years of age.
(9) Infants and toddlers have unique needs that differ from
those of older children in areas such as health and safety,
interaction with teachers and caregivers, and learning, yet not
all States recognize those differences in licensing regulations
or in their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems. Just 20
States have infant and toddler quality indicators in their
Quality Rating and Improvement Systems and only 3 States have
separate categories of child care regulations related to
infants and toddlers.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to improve the overall
quality of child care programs serving infants or toddlers.
SEC. 3. HIGH-QUALITY INFANT AND TODDLER CARE PROGRAM.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 is amended
by inserting after section 658G (42 U.S.C. 9858e) the following:
``SEC. 658H. HIGH-QUALITY INFANT AND TODDLER CARE PROGRAM.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Eligible infant or toddler care provider.--The term
`eligible infant or toddler care provider' means an eligible
child care provider, consistent with section 658P, who provides
care to an infant or toddler.
``(2) Infant or toddler.--The term `infant or toddler'
means an individual under 3 years of age.
``(3) Infant or toddler with a developmental delay or
disability.--
``(A) In general.--The term `infant or toddler with
a developmental delay or disability' has the meaning
given the term `infant or toddler with a disability' in
section 632 of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1432).
``(B) Plural form.--The term `infants and toddlers
with developmental delays or disabilities' means more
than 1 infant or toddler with a developmental delay or
disability.
``(4) Limited english proficient.--The term `limited
English proficient' has the meaning given the term in section
637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832).
``(5) Low-income community.--The term `low-income
community' shall be defined by the Secretary.
``(6) Low-income family.--The term `low-income family'
means a family with a family income described in section
658P(4)(B).
``(b) Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to
eligible States, from allotments described in paragraph (2), to
enable the States to improve the quality of care for infants
and toddlers.
``(2) Allotments.--
``(A) Amounts reserved.--
``(i) Territories and possessions.--The
Secretary shall reserve an amount not to exceed
0.5 percent of the amount appropriated under
this section for each fiscal year for payments
to Guam, American Samoa, the United States
Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, to be allotted in
accordance with their respective needs.
``(ii) Indian tribes.--The Secretary shall
reserve not less than 1 percent, and not more
than 2 percent, of the amount appropriated
under this section for each fiscal year for
payments to Indian tribes and tribal
organizations with applications approved under
section 658O(c).
``(B) Allotments to states.--After making
reservations under subparagraph (A), the Secretary
shall use the remainder of the amount appropriated
under this section for a fiscal year to allot to each
State an amount that bears the same relationship to
that remainder as the amount allotted to the State
under section 658O for that fiscal year bears to the
amount allotted to all States under section 658O for
that fiscal year.
``(C) State.--In this paragraph, the term `State'
does not include Guam, American Samoa, the United
States Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.
``(c) Amendment to State Plans.--A State that receives a grant
under this section shall include in the State's plan under section
658E, a description of how the State will use funds provided under this
section to improve the quality of infant and toddler care.
``(d) Use of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this
section shall use the funds made available through the grant to
carry out 1 or more of the activities described in paragraphs
(2) through (7).
``(2) Increasing high-quality infant and toddler care.--
``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds
described in paragraph (1) to make grants to eligible
entities to be resources for eligible infant and
toddler care providers, to improve the quality of early
care and development services provided to infants and
toddlers in the community from low-income families and
to help such providers serving low-income families
improve their capacity to offer high-quality care to
such families.
``(B) Eligible entity.--To be eligible to receive a
grant under this paragraph, an entity shall be an
eligible child care provider that--
``(i) serves infants and toddlers from low-
income families; and
``(ii)(I) is ranked at the top level of the
State's Quality Rating and Improvement System
or similar rating system or accredited by a
national accrediting body recognized, before
the date of enactment of the Infant and Toddler
Care Improvement Act, for high-quality program
standards that are valid and reliable; or
``(II) is an Early Head Start agency under
section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9840a) that is in full compliance with the
performance standards applicable to such an
agency under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831
et seq.).
``(C) Priority.--In making grants under this
paragraph, a State--
``(i) shall give priority to entities that
will serve significant populations of low-
income families; and
``(ii) may give priority to entities that--
``(I) are located in low-income
communities;
``(II) will serve communities with
significant populations of families
with limited English proficiency; or
``(III) will increase the ability
of caregivers to provide appropriate
services and coordinate activities with
State and local systems providing
services under part C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) for
children with developmental delays or
disabilities, including such children
in the child welfare system of the
State.
``(3) Staffed family child care networks or systems.--
``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds
described in paragraph (1) to make grants to
organizations with expertise in providing child care
and related technical assistance, to establish new
staffed family child care networks (new as of the date
of amendment of the State plan under subsection (c)) or
to operate existing staffed family child care networks
or systems that offer, to family child care providers
who are eligible infant and toddler care providers,
technical assistance, training, administrative support,
or direct services including monitoring visits to
providers.
``(B) Priority.--In making grants under this
paragraph, a State--
``(i) shall give priority to organizations
described in paragraph (2)(C)(i); and
``(ii) may give priority to organizations
that have 1 or more of the 3 characteristics
described in paragraph (2)(C)(ii).
``(4) Statewide network of infant and toddler
specialists.--
``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds
described in paragraph (1) to support, or to make a
grant to an organization with expertise in providing
child care technical assistance to support, a statewide
network of specialists who are eligible infant and
toddler care providers, that shall--
``(i) provide individual or group training
and intensive consultation services to eligible
infant and toddler care providers, including
relative caregivers, on strategies to improve
the quality of care for infants and toddlers;
and
``(ii) assist eligible infant and toddler
care providers in coordinating activities with
other offices responsible for child care,
including Early Head Start programs and Head
Start programs carried out under the Head Start
Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.).
``(B) Priority.--In delivering services or making
grants under this paragraph, a State--
``(i) shall give priority to networks that
deliver support to providers described in
paragraph (2)(C)(i); and
``(ii) may give priority to networks that
deliver support to providers that have 1 or
more of the 3 characteristics described in
paragraph (2)(C)(ii).
``(5) State workforce quality initiatives.--
``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds
described in paragraph (1) to support initiatives to
improve the quality of the workforce of eligible infant
and toddler care providers, such as--
``(i) providing relevant training,
professional development, or mentoring to
eligible infant and toddler care providers,
including linking the training, development, or
mentoring to career pathways for eligible
infant and toddler care providers;
``(ii) providing scholarships or other
financial support to eligible infant and
toddler care providers to advance their
education and training;
``(iii) coordinating activities with the
State's higher education system to expand the
availability and quality of coursework for
infant and toddler care providers, including
developing career pathways for eligible infant
and toddler care providers; or
``(iv) improving the State credentialing of
eligible infant and toddler care providers.
``(6) Systems quality.--A State may use the funds described
in paragraph (1) to--
``(A) develop infant and toddler components for the
State's Quality Rating and Improvement System or
similar rating system, child care licensing
regulations, or voluntary early learning guidelines;
``(B) improve the ability of parents to obtain
information about high-quality infant and toddler care;
or
``(C) assist eligible infant and toddler care
providers seeking to improve the quality of their
infant and toddler care by increasing their ranking on
the State's Quality Rating and Improvement System or
similar rating system, meeting performance standards
applicable to an Early Head Start agency under the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), or becoming
accredited by a national accrediting body described in
paragraph (2)(B)(ii).
``(7) Other high-quality initiatives.--A State may use the
funds described in paragraph (1) to carry out other activities
determined by the State to improve the quality of infant and
toddler care provided in the State and for which there is
evidence that the activities will lead to improved infant and
toddler safety, infant and toddler development, or infant and
toddler well-being.
``(e) Reporting.--A State that receives a grant under subsection
(b) shall submit in the State's annual reports required under section
658K(a)(2), information on how the State is using the funding provided
under subsection (b) to improve the quality of infant and toddler care
and the effect such funding is having on the quality of infant and
toddler care in the State.
``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary
for fiscal year 2014 and each subsequent fiscal year.''.
SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
(a) Authorization.--Section 658B of the Child Care and Development
Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858) is amended by inserting
``(other than section 658H)'' after ``subchapter''.
(b) Allotment.--Section 658O(a)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C.
9858m(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``this subchapter'' and inserting
``section 658B''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4482)
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
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